North Carolina long built a reputation for landing the best players from the Tar Heel State and developing them into stars under Dean Smith — think Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Phil Ford, Jerry Stackhouse and Brad Daugherty, among many others.
That prioritization of keeping top in-state talent in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, continued under Roy Williams for many years but tapered off late in his tenure.
In his five recruiting classes from 2010-14, Williams landed the state’s first- or second-ranked player four times, according to the 247Sports Composite. Three of those players started for the 2016-17 team, UNC’s last national championship squad.
In the 12 recruiting classes since then, the Tar Heels have landed the state’s No. 1 or No. 2 player just twice — Dontrez Styles from Kinston (N.C.) in 2021 and Drake Powell from Pittsboro (N.C.) Northwood in 2024. Both were rated as North Carolina’s No. 2 recruit in their respective classes.
Coby White, a five-star prospect from Wilson (N.C.) Greenfield School and the state’s No. 3 recruit in 2018 also deserves mention.
However, UNC’s approach to in-state talent appears to be shifting under first-year coaches Michael Malone and Chuck Martin. It doesn’t hurt that North Carolina’s 2027 recruiting class is one of the most talented in-state groups in recent memory.
Five-star Jordan Page from Raleigh (N.C.) Broughton, ranked No. 9 nationally in the 247Composite, is just the second top-10 recruit from the Tar Heel State this decade. He headlines seven Top247 in-state prospects, including five ranked inside the top 115 nationally.
National and team insiders shared the latest updates on UNC’s pursuit of top in-state talent in the 2027 cycle.
